My host family is located in Kylikiti village, which is about a 15 minute walk from Nyendo town, which is in turn about a 15 minute ‘white car taxi’ ride from Masaka town. All in all, it’s not a bad commute, except for the fact that I have to walk past no less than five schools on my way, making me an easy target for shouts of ‘Bye Muzungu!’ Here are a few of the particulars about my new home, and I’ll fill in more details as time goes on:
The family
Jenipher Semakuula is the name of my host mother. She is the mother of six grown children, and is of the Lugave clan of the Buganda people. (This is how I was assigned my Ugandan name of ‘Nabantanzi’, which is of the same clan as Jennifer- more to follow on clans later.)
In Jenipher’s home there are:
- Mikiibi - her four-year old grandson who lives with her and goes to school down the street. He was one of two of the children who cried when they first saw me (scared of the weird white Muzungu). We have an interesting relationship so far. More to follow in later entries about the ‘two faces’ of little Mikiibi…
- Bonnie - Jenipher’s 31 year old son. He used to live and work in Entebbe (where the airport is), but recently got laid off. He plays a mean game of chess, and has helped me to figure out how to get around the neighborhood.
- Justine - a hardworking woman who doesn’t speak a ton of English, but who seems very nice. She is the ‘second wife’ of a man who sometimes comes to visit her and his kids, but it’s a tough situation since she is making do on very limited income. She has shown an innate aptitude for Uno!
- The twins and Alex – Justine has three kids. The twins are three, and though they were shy at first, now they’re all over me. I love to come home from work and play with them! Alex is one year old, and he’s very cute. He mostly just sits placidly and takes everything in.
The house
The house is quite nice by local standards. The clay brick is fortified with cement, and it is painted a cheerful yellow in the front. Around the back is a little courtyard and row of buildings where Justine and here three kids live, and where the kitchen and henhouse are. The house is surrounded by a large yard that is home to my host mother’s banana plantation, garden, piggery, and the burial area for family members who have passed away.
Inside, it is pretty basic, but nice and clean. The walls do not go all the way to the ceiling, which is made from mats my host mother wove herself. In some rooms there is no ceiling blocking the view of the tile roof, and I’ve noted there’s some dripping action that happens with heavy rain J I have my own nice room, complete with mosquito net enshrouded bed. The bathroom is inside the house, which is a treat, but there is only a shower curtain covering where the door is, which makes me a little nervous with a four-year-old running around. There are fixtures for plumbing and electricity, but neither work at the moment, so lanterns, buckets and basins reign. The kitchen is very different from what I was used to in Boston, and will be another blog entry unto itself…
One other note about our location- lest you get too many romantic notions about our bucolic ‘village life’, we are right across the street from a huge gas station, and literally right next to a very active mosque! (Prayers 5x a day starting at 5:00am, oy!)
Home sweet home
The first weekend felt a rather long just because of the natural awkwardness involved with moving in with strangers. All in all though, it seems like a wonderful family, and nice place to call my home away from home.
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